Watford striker Troy Deeney has admitted that he hates facing Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in the Premier League, but he also raved about his teammate Joe Gomez.
Deeney has said that because of the Dutchman’s physical attributes, this makes it very hard to play against him – and has praised how he is good in possession, has good pace and comes out on top when it comes to strength.
The Hornets’ forward added that he is also a big fan of Van Dijk’s central defensive partner, Joe Gomez – and he believes that he could establish himself as England’s centre-back for the next 15 years.
“I’ve said it many times – I hate him. I hate going up against him. He’s too big, too strong, too quick, too good on the ball, he loves fighting and he’s got a good head of hair,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live’s ‘Monday Night Club’ [24.54].
“[Gomez] is very good. I’ve said for a long time I’ve got massive respect for Joe Gomez. I think he could be England’s centre-half for the next 15 years. He’s a beast of a player and going next to someone like Van Dijk you’re only going to get better.”
OPINION
Deeney is not the only one to come out and heap praise on Liverpool’s first choice central defensive pairing. However, it is not surprising to hear him come out and say that he is afraid of facing Van Dijk – after all, he has established himself as a rock in the Reds side. Deeney must not be the only forward scared of coming up against – other strikers must feel the same, as he makes their job ten times harder than it actually should be. Nevertheless, this is Van Dijk’s job – he needs to make things a lot harder for the strikers that he comes up against, and that is what makes him so fearsome. As for Gomez, it is not a shock that Deeney has come out and said that he is the long-term future of England. Gareth Southgate already has some great central defenders to choose from, but now that Gomez has had his name thrown in the mix, the international boss now has a bit of a selection headache.
